Groups seek weekly COVID-19 tests, special vaccination in limited face-to-face classes
MANILA, Philippines — Groups on Wednesday urged the government to come up with better health protocols in the limited resumption of face-to-face classes this month, saying the guidelines in place are "deficient."
Some 100 public schools across the country will begin a return to classrooms on November 15. It came more than a year since schools were shut due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a joint statement, 13 organizations said guidelines by the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education are "deficient of key health protection measures that can boost the nation's condifence and enable the safe resumption of face-to-face classes."
Included in the groups are the National Union of Students of the Philippines, Coalition for People's Right to Health, Alliance for Children's Concerns, as well as party-lists ACT-Teachers, Kabataan, Bayan and Anakpawis.
Specifically, they said education stakeholders are calling for five measures to include in the government's measures.
These are for a weekly COVID-19 antigen testing to students, teachers and staff in the pilot run, a special vaccination program in areas where schools would participate, and the retrofitting of classrooms to ensure proper ventilation.
On Tuesday, DepEd said it will not require antigen tests for students who will join the limited resumption. The Department of Health has said, too, that it is not recommending the same for teaching and non-teaching personnel.
DOH had said those who will exhibit symptoms for the virus would instead be sent immediately to isolation facilities.
The two agencies have outlined specific protocols for schools to follow in the return to classrooms under an approved joint memorandum circular signed in October.
Groups also called for a mass hiring of school nurses, as well as for a medical fund for the government to shoulder the treatment of those who will be infected.
"It must provide subsidy to local governmernt units and public and private school administrations," they added, "to enable them to meet the gargantuan tasks that were laid upon their shoulders and not back down on the challenge or pass onto the stakeholders the costs of safely reopening schools."
DepEd has already completed its list of public schools allowed to participate in the pilot study which will run for two months.
The agency has said it will look into the possibility of adding more institutions depending on the results. Its regional offices have also nominated 30 private schools, but the number will be narrowed down to just 20.
To date, no school in the National Capital Region will be allowed to join the resumption of physical classes. That is despite the government loosening more restrictions in Metro Manila amid a continuing decline in new COVID-19 cases.
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